Lady Kitsu
by OpalDragon
Summary: A new half-demon enters Inu-Yasha's life as they continue to search for Naraku.
1. In the beginning...

Hey reviewers! This is my first Inu-Yasha story. Some of you might know me from the CardCaptor Sakura section, but that doesn't matter. I've been trying to expand my writing.abilities with other manga and anime. If this story isn't that good, I'm very sorry and I would like advice, not flames, to help me improve this and future stories. Well, onto the first chapter! Let me just say this. This story happens before they kill Naraku but after they get the Tetsusaiga back. So yeah, just keeping you informed. Thoughts are in ''.  
  
Disclaimer: No ownership what-so-ever. Sorry, but try and sue someone else.  
  
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'Finally. I get to go away from all this modern stuff of Kagome's world. She sure takes a long time to pack.' Inu-Yasha stood next to the well, waiting for Kagome to come.  
  
"Here I am!" Kagome called, pulling along a very large backpack. Inu-Yasha lifted an eyebrow and remained silent. They jumped into the well, to Inu- Yasha's time, without speaking to each other.  
  
"They're here Miroku!" Shippô called, peering down at the glaring half- demon and black-haired human.  
  
"Lady Kagome! Inu-Yasha! Back already?" Miroku asked, helping Kagome out of the well.  
  
"Wha.What are you doing here? I thought that you were searching for Naraku," Inu-Yasha said, staring at Miroku.  
  
"I was, but Sango insisted that we come to Lady Kaede's village," he replied, shrugging.  
  
"Huh?" Kagome looked up, startled.  
  
"What is it Kagome?" Inu-Yasha asked, watching Kagome closely.  
  
"I feel a.a Shikon Shard near by," she responded and Miroku and Inu-Yasha went on full alert, closely scanning the area around them.  
  
"Over here you guys!" Sango shouted, waving to them from Kirara's back. "Follow me!"  
  
Inu-Yasha and Miroku bounded in the direction that Sango was going while Kagome and Shippô followed as fast as they could. As they got closer, Inu- Yasha unsheathed the Tetsusaiga.  
  
"Hurry up Lord Inu-Yasha! Before she's killed!" The familiar flea-demon jumped onto Inu-Yasha's shoulder.  
  
"Myoga you old man! Why didn't you tell us earlier?!" Inu-Yasha shouted, slightly peeved.  
  
"There!" Miroku shouted as they left the comfort of the woods. The sight before them was smoking. Well, the ground was smoking. A demon that looked like a gorilla (AN: No it's not Naraku. . But it does work for him) and it was attacking what looked like a very small.rock.  
  
"What is it attacking?" Shippô asked, trying to see better.  
  
"It looks like a rock. Wait! It just moved!" Miroku exclaimed, but Inu- Yasha was already rushing towards the demon, the Tetsusaiga raised and ready.  
  
"Prepare to die!" Inu-Yasha shouted, swinging the blade. The demon turned and ducked as the Tetsusaiga skimmed its head. Inu-Yasha brought the Tetsusaiga back around, slicing a few hairs of the top of the demon's head as it ducked the blade once more. A brief pause and the demon was enveloped in poisonous vapors.  
  
"No one can defeat Master Naraku!" The words of the demon rang in the still and smoky air as Miroku moved forward to investigate the "rock".  
  
"Hey! Come look at THIS!" Miroku shouted, lifting the "rock" from the ground.  
  
"What is it Miroku?" Shippô asked, dashing over with Kagome and everyone else.  
  
"It's...It's...It's a human?!" Sango exclaimed, not believing what was before her eyes. Sure enough, it was a small human, but it wasn't an infant. It was a girl that looked about the same age as Kagome. The girl had brown hair and two earrings on one ear. She wore an outfit similar to Inu-Yasha's, only it was blue with green lacing and she didn't have any beads. A scabbard was tied to her, but it was empty. A sword, that looked well used, lay on the ground near by.  
  
"She must have been larger before the demon attacked her. But the question is how did she get to be that small? She's just human," Inu-Yasha commented, taking the girl from Miroku's hand. "Her wounds are bad. We should take her to Lady Kaede."  
  
"Be careful Lord Inu-Yasha. You don't want to hurt her anymore than she is," Myoga said as Inu-Yasha carefully closed his hand around the tiny form.  
  
"I will, you old man, so quit telling me what to do," Inu-Yasha growled, flicking away the flea demon. Inu-Yasha bounded towards the village while everyone else followed on their own.  
  
"Lady Kaede! Lady Kaede!" Kagome called, rushing into Lady Kaede's house.  
  
"What is it Lady Kagome?" Lady Kaede asked, coming into the room.  
  
"We found this girl being attacked by a demon, a minion of Naraku," Miroku responded as Inu-Yasha handed the girl to Lady Kaede.  
  
"This is no normal human. She's a half-breed. A wolf-dog half-demon," Lady Kaede said, inspecting the girl closely. "This is just a defense, shrinking to a smaller size like this, though I haven't seen any of them get this small before."  
  
"WHAT?!" Kagome, Inu-Yasha, Sango, Miroku, and Shippô exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at Lady Kaede.  
  
"Pipe down or you'll scare the poor half-breed before I can fix her," Lady Kaede snapped, turning from them. "She will stay here for tonight. And so will you."  
  
Later that night...  
  
Inu-Yasha stared out the window into the night sky. His eyes wondered over Sango, who was resting next to Miroku, who was sleeping while leaning against the wall. As his gaze shifted, it settled on Kagome as she slept peacefully. There was a twinge of longing that Inu-Yasha found hard to ignore. Silently, he rose and made for the window.  
  
"Inu-Yasha. Be careful out there. Naraku had spies surround us earlier this evening along with some powerful demons," Miroku said, not even opening his eyes.  
  
"I will be right back," Inu-Yasha retorted, slipping out the window. Scanning the area around the house, Inu-Yasha picked out the forms of some demons, including the one that had attacked earlier that day.  
  
"Give us the Masamune and we'll let you and the others live," a demonic voice called from the safety of the dark.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about so go away," Inu-Yasha said, flexing his claws. "Or I'll make you go away."  
  
"You can't handle us all." "There are too many of us for a single demon, let alone a half-breed."  
  
"Tetsusaiga! Give us the Tetsusaiga instead then!"  
  
"Then come and try and take it if you want it!" Inu-Yasha challenged, pulling the Tetsusaiga from it scabbard.  
  
Suddenly, the area around Inu-Yasha was filled with demons, cutting him off from Kagome and the others.  
  
'What have I gotten myself into? Is Naraku really controlling all these demons? If I'm killed, who will protect Kagome and the others? What is going on?'  
  
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Okay then. First chapter is over! Interesting stopping point dontcha think? What did Inu-Yasha get himself into this time? Don't worry about a thing. It'll work out. Wondering about the girl? She's going to be quite the half- demon if I should say so myself. Don't worry, Inu-Yasha won't cheat on Kagome. That wouldn't be fair to the half-demon. ^_^ Just kidding! Anyway, I really hope to see your reviews soon. Talk later!  
  
Sorry about this chapter being so short! 


	2. Lady Kitsu enters Inu-Yasha's life...

Okay then, here's the second chapter of Lady Kitsu. Since I kinda left of at a cliffhanger, I'm just going to shut up and let you get on with the chapter. I would like to thank anyone and everyone who has reviewed so far. For future reference, please try and read other stories that I have written while you wait for this story to be updated. Thanks and on with the chapter! Please note: I use part of the end of the last chapter in this one.  
  
Disclaimer: No comment  
  
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Suddenly, the area around Inu-Yasha was filled with demons, cutting him off from Kagome and the others.  
  
'What have I gotten myself into? Is Naraku really controlling all these demons? If I'm killed, who will protect Kagome and the others? What is going on?'  
  
Inu-Yasha held the Tetsusaiga with its point pointing directly towards one group of demons. Instead of backing away, they moved in closer, growling.  
  
"If you attack, you hit your friends in house," a primitive demon said, indicating Lady Kaede's house.  
  
"Go ahead and attack Inu-Yasha. I've got it covered," Miroku said, standing between the demons and the house.  
  
"Miroku! Are you CRAZY?!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed, glancing at the hordes of demons around him.  
  
"Just do it. I already said that I had it covered," Miroku shouted, putting up a barrier.  
  
Inu-Yasha sent Miroku a furious glance before swinging the Tetsusaiga in a wide arc. The attack was absorbed into Miroku's barrier and absorbed into the ground.  
  
The next morning.  
  
"Eek! Where did all these demons come from?!" Kagome exclaimed, looking at the dead demons scattered about the yard.  
  
"Inu-Yasha killed them last night. I just kept the attack from killing us all and flattening Lady Kaede's house," Miroku explained, shouldering his staff.  
  
"Are you ready to go already?" Lady Kaede asked, coming out of her house carrying the wolf dog half-breed.  
  
"Yes. We need to go find Naraku before he can kill or destroy anyone else and their families," Sango responded, hoisting her bone boomerang onto her back.  
  
"Well then. Lady Kagome. Here's a box that I'll put in your backpack to carry Lady Kitsu in," Lady Kaede said, putting the box in the top of Kagome's backpack and placing Lady Kitsu in it.  
  
Shippô looked into Kagome's backpack along with Inu-Yasha, Miroku, and Kirara. The little half-demon glared out at them, showing her fangs.  
  
"How could someone or something like her hold their own in a fight without help from someone else?" Inu-Yasha asked, raising an eyebrow at Lady Kitsu.  
  
"You'd be surprised Inu-Yasha. Wolf dog demons, even half-breeds like her, are very powerful even when they're small," Sango explained, looking over Miroku's shoulder.  
  
"And how would you know that Sango?" Miroku asked.  
  
"I've gotten rid of quite a few when they were killers way back when I was ten years old," Sango explained.  
  
"That's right! You were the one who killed my mother, the leader of our pack! Don't you dare sleep while I'm in your.company," Lady Kitsu shouted, her voice barely loud enough.  
  
"We should probably start by going to my old village. It's the safest place with the walls it has," Sango commented, closing the lid of Kagome's backpack.  
  
"Anyway, who should carry the sword?" Kagome asked, looking at the rest of the group.  
  
"All of us are carrying our own weapons except you and Shippô, but Shippô is too small to carry that big sword," Inu-Yasha replied, handing Kagome a sheath to use.  
  
They started walking in the general direction of Sango's old village where they would stay the night.  
  
A few hours later.  
  
"We should probably stop for a short break and let Lady Kitsu out for a stretch and a bit of fresh air," Miroku said, stopping next to a flat boulder.  
  
"I don't need your sympathy monk. I can handle being in here." Lady Kitsu's voice penetrated the cloth cover, dripping with sarcastism.  
  
"That's it. I'm tired of hearing that little half-breed talking. It's time to show her who is boss," Inu-Yasha growled, stomping over to Kagome.  
  
"And I'm tired of you complaining about it," Kagome retorted before saying, "SIT!"  
  
WHOMP!  
  
"I guess we will stop for a while," Miroku commented, boredom clear in his voice.  
  
An hour later.  
  
Sango lead the way up the mountain to her old village. Everyone followed, looking at the surroundings. The forest was gone and the ground was scorched.  
  
"Wow. Looks like there was a fire here recently," Shippô said, staring at a still smoldering stump.  
  
"Yeah. The forest had still been here when we had left this place a few days ago," Miroku agreed.  
  
"Well, at least the village is still here," Kagome said, pointing to the tall wooden walls.  
  
Lady Kitsu peered out of Kagome's backpack and stared up at the high walls. 'So this is where that extermination village was. It looks like there was a disease or something here a while ago, because this place smells of death.'  
  
They entered through the open gate and settled down near a wall that had chucks ripped out. The area behind it was forest, an easy getaway for them in case of an emergency. While Miroku built a fire, Sango and Inu-Yasha looked around to make sure that it was safe for them. Lady Kitsu climbed out of Kagome's backpack and stood a little ways away from the fire.  
  
"There were some recent traces of a demon by the south wall but that's it," Sango commented, sitting down with a sigh.  
  
"How old are the traces?" Miroku asked, poking the fire.  
  
"The most recent were two hours old," Inu-Yasha responded, leaning against the wall.  
  
"WHAT?!" Kagome shouted, staring at Inu-Yasha. "I'm NOT staying here if there's traces of a demon that are still fresh near by! What if it comes back?!"  
  
"Huh?" Inu-Yasha said, staring wide-eyed at Kagome. "What.WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! IT WON'T COME BACK IF IT KNOWS WHAT'S GOOD FOR IT!"  
  
Inu-Yasha and Kagome continued to shout at each other while the others watched, speechless.  
  
"Do.do they do this often?" Lady Kitsu asked, finally finding her voice.  
  
"Inu-Yasha seems to think that Kagome is spoiled," Shippô responded, sitting down next to the small half-demon.  
  
"SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!" Kagome shouted, punctuating each "sit" with a small kick aimed at Inu-Yasha.  
  
"Hey! Ow! Stop it.ow! That's not.ow!...fair.ow! Stop.OW!" Inu-Yasha said from his position on the ground.  
  
"While they waited for the effect of the five "sits" to wear off, the new moon started to rise into the sky.  
  
"I guess that tonight was the turning of the cycle," Shippô commented as Inu-Yasha's claws disappeared, his ears turned normal, and his hair turned black.  
  
"Let's just hope that no demons attack tonight," Kagome yawned.  
  
While everyone lay down to go to sleep, Lady Kitsu stayed up watching the fire. But she wasn't the only one up and watching.  
  
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Finally, the second chapter is done. sigh I think I actually typed a slightly longer chapter this time! ^_^ Be sure to review but no flames please.  
  
I'll just say this about the next chapter.it's going to be much more interesting with lots of action. Inu-Yasha will have a brief time of being kinda out of his typical character but that won't last very long.  
  
See ya and don't forget to review!!!!!!!!!  
  
Sorry that this took so long to update but my computer had a freeze/melt down type of problem so I couldn't type on it. As you can tell, it's been fixed! 


	3. A Near Casualty

Yeah! I finally got started on the third chapter! Anyway.I'm going to shut up now and let you start the chapter right away.  
  
Disclaimer: All that I own of this story is Lady Kitsu. Other than that, everything else is owned by the owner of Inu-Yasha. Duh!  
  
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While everyone lay down to go to sleep, Lady Kitsu sat up, staring at the fire. But she wasn't the only one up and watching.  
  
It was around four o'clock when Lady Kitsu sensed and smelled the demon. Before she could alert the others, another figure appeared next to the demon in her mind's eye.  
  
From his long hair and a lingering smell that was familiar to Lady Kitsu for some odd reason. Lady Kitsu assumed that this other figure was Naraku, but his scent was extremely familiar to her and she couldn't place it anywhere.  
  
With a snarl that startled Lady Kitsu, Inu-Yasha leapt up from where he had been sleeping, lunging at Naraku without a thought of the demon. Everyone sat up, snatching weapons and preparing themselves for an attack.  
  
Naraku disappeared as the demon met Inu-Yasha with beck and talons.  
  
"Stay back Lady Kagome!" Miroku instructed, running forward to help Inu- Yasha. Kagome sat back down, watching the fight through horror-struck eyes. Shippô climbed into her lap, scared spit less.  
  
Meanwhile, Kirara had joined the fight by jumping on the demon's back. The demon, intent on getting away, opened its wings and uttered a high-pitched shriek.  
  
Sango watched helplessly, knowing that if she used her boomerang she might hit Kirara, Inu-Yasha, or Miroku.  
  
With a sweep of its mighty wings, the demon knocked Miroku over and Kirara off it's back. Clutching Inu-Yasha in its talons, it started to take off.  
  
"Oh no!" Sango gasped, staring at the limp figure in the demon's clutches.  
  
"INU-YASHA!!!" Kagome screamed, standing up and stringing an arrow to her bow.  
  
"Don't do it Lady Kagome! You'll hit Inu-Yasha!" Miroku shouted, struggling to his feet.  
  
Lady Kitsu knew that she had to help but she wasn't sure if she was ready since the last fight with that gorilla demon had taken a large toll of her strength. But she had to help otherwise Inu-Yasha might die. Closing her eyes, Lady Kitsu began the transformation, regardless of the toll that it would take later.  
  
Meanwhile.  
  
Shippô stared up at the demon as it started to carry Inu-Yasha away over the treetops. A sudden bright light made him turn away as everyone else did to find out what made the bright light.  
  
"What in the name of Buddha." Miroku started to say as a figure dashed past them, clutching the sheath that Kagome had been carrying.  
  
"It's.it's Lady Kitsu!" Sango exclaimed as she recognized the two earrings on one of the ears.  
  
"What is she doing?" Shippô asked, a look of confusion on his face.  
  
Kagome bent down to Shippô's level and said, "She's going to save Inu- Yasha!"  
  
While Kagome explained things to Shippô.  
  
Lady Kitsu rushed forward, her eyes on her prey. Instinct took over as she got closer and closer to the demon. Silently, as she drew the Masamune, she leapt up into the treetops. She got extremely close to the demon and yet, it still hadn't sensed her.  
  
Baring her teeth in a ruthless grin, Lady Kitsu leapt up above the demon, the Masamune poised to strike. The demon finally noticed her and it tried to fly faster, away from underneath Lady Kitsu.  
  
'I have one chance to attack before this demon either flees or fights. Either way, it will drop Inu-Yasha to his certain death. I better be ready to drop quickly. Here it goes.'  
  
Lady Kitsu dropped, swinging the Masamune at the demon. The demon flipped over, trying to use Inu-Yasha as a shield but she was prepared. Swinging the Masamune underneath Inu-Yasha's limp form, Lady Kitsu destroyed the demon without a problem.  
  
A sigh of relief escaped the wolf dog half-demon's lips as she dropped to the treetops and caught Inu-Yasha in her arms.  
  
"LADY KITSU!!!" Kagome shouted as the half-demon in question jumped down in front of Shippô, Kirara, Sango, Miroku, and Kagome.  
  
"He's okay," Lady Kitsu assured the frantic Kagome as she set Inu-Yasha carefully on the ground.  
  
Dawn's first rays crept over the horizon, bathing everything in a golden light. (AN: It's six o'clock in the morning. Why am I still up?) Slowly, Inu-Yasha changed back to his normal self and his wounds started to heal.  
  
Lady Kitsu watched the sunrise while everyone else made sure that Inu-Yasha was okay. She sensed someone coming towards her and sniffed. It was the young kitsune, Shippô. He stood next to her, dwarfed by her newfound height.  
  
"Beautiful sunrise, isn't it," Lady Kitsu remarked casually, breaking the silence.  
  
"Yeah. Um, I came to apologize," Shippô said and she detected nervousness in his voice.  
  
"Why? None of you have done anything wrong," she commented, looking down at him, before adding in her mind, 'Except that Sango when she killed my mother.'  
  
"Well, Inu-Yasha doesn't like people saving him and so he never thanks them for it," he replied, grinning up at Lady Kitsu. "Sometimes he can be a real jerk."  
  
She had to laugh at the little demon's innocence before mentioning; "He would get along with my pack with no problems."  
  
A happy squeal and a brief sound of surprise made Shippô and Lady Kitsu turn. Kagome had literally thrown herself at Inu-Yasha and was hugging him tightly.  
  
Lady Kitsu sat down quickly as a roaring sound filled her ears. Miroku was the first to notice that Lady Kitsu didn't look good, health wise.  
  
"What ails you?" he asked, sidling up next to her.  
  
Lady Kitsu gave him a look that clearly said; 'I know your reputation hentai. Try it and I'll rip you to shreds.'  
  
"It's nothing. Just a small side effect of transformation. It really isn't this bad except I wasn't completely ready for the change since the last fight," she explained, glaring up at Miroku. "I don't need your sympathy as I have said earlier on this trip."  
  
"But." Miroku started to argue but, surprisingly, Inu-Yasha cut him off.  
  
"Leave her alone Miroku," Inu-Yasha commanded, struggling to stand up while pushing a clingy Kagome off of him. "If you mess with her, you'll probably have to mess with her pack."  
  
Everyone was taken aback by Inu-Yasha's attitude. Using the Tetsusaiga as a crutch, he limped over to Lady Kitsu and offered her his hand. She stared up at him, surprised since Shippô had said that he didn't like people saving him and he never said thank you.  
  
"Here. Let me help you up," he said, watching Lady Kitsu closely with amber eyes. Everyone stared at Inu-Yasha with wide eyes and open mouths.  
  
"Th.thanks," Lady Kitsu stammered, taking his hand and hauling herself to her feet. Copying Inu-Yasha, she used the Masamune to help her stay on her feet and walk around.  
  
Miroku and Sango lead the way back to their campsite. Kagome hovered over Inu-Yasha like a worried mother as they followed behind Miroku and Sango. Shippô, Kirara, and Lady Kitsu brought up the rear, moving slowly for the half-demon.  
  
They picked up their camp and set off in search of Naraku once more, only at a slower pace for the two half-demons.  
  
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Well, third chapter done. School has started (for those of you who read this later, the date is September 2002) and I already have homework. Homework needs to DIE! No offense to those who like homework or anything. Anyway, I better go and start working on the fourth chapter or some homework. . Maybe not the homework. ^_^ Remember to review this! I'm expecting more reviews soon!  
  
Between homework and keeping a fanfiction.net account going, I've been pretty busy, even though school just started. I really need people to email me so that I can have something to look forward to after school and/or during lunch break at school.  
  
See ya!  
  
- The Dragon of Opal (OpalDragon) 


	4. Spring of Chaos

Welcome to the fourth chapter of my Inu-Yasha story. I'm sure that I really don't need to say much about the previous chapter so I'll shut up after I do the disclaimer.  
  
Actually, I want to say this one thing.  
  
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!! I was watching reruns of Sept. 11th on TV and it was sad! They had interviews of people who had been trapped in the rubble and on the stories above where the planes had crashed. I was literally bawling my eyes out. God bless all of you. (My mom taped the stuff and I happened to stumble upon them while looking for a video one of my friends lent me)  
  
Disclaimer: Not much to say is there? No ownership.  
  
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As night started to fall, Miroku called a halt near a hot spring. Inu- Yasha sat down against a tree with a long sigh of relief.  
  
"We're going to the hot spring. Would you like to come Lady Kitsu?" Sango asked, looking Lady Kitsu in the eyes. "Don't worry. The guys know not to peek."  
  
"It's not that but the area around here smells familiar for some odd reason," Lady Kitsu replied, her nose quivering.  
  
"The scent is recent too. It's demonic and evil," Inu-Yasha added, glancing around.  
  
"I just hope that it isn't that demon's parents. They're much bigger than the kids," Miroku commented, starting to build a fire. (AN: It's Michelle Branch! I recommend her albums to everyone!)  
  
"They shouldn't attack tonight, right? I mean, while we're in the woods at least?" Kagome asked, biting her lip.  
  
"Yeah. We'll be fine. Besides, if we are attacked while we're at the hot spring, we could always shout," Sango responded, leading the way to the hot spring. Kagome and Lady Kitsu followed, leaving Shippô, Miroku, and Inu- Yasha to finish making camp.  
  
They reached the hot spring in no time and Sango made sure that the guys hadn't followed. Lady Kitsu set the Masamune within easy reaching distance where she was sitting with her feet in the spring.  
  
"Thank goodness there was a hot spring here. I honestly need a bath," Kagome said, calmly stripping her clothes and getting into the hot spring.  
  
"I'm surprised that no one else is around here," Sango commented, slipping into the hot spring with a sigh of relief. "Come join us Lady Kitsu."  
  
Lady Kitsu watched them, unsure of whether she should join them or not. 'Miroku is bound to wonder if a half-demon is the same as a human. Besides, can I honestly trust these humans with my life story?'  
  
With a sigh, knowing that she'd have to tell her life story eventually, Lady Kitsu stripped and joined Kagome and Sango in the hot spring.  
  
Meanwhile.  
  
Miroku had finished building a fire while Inu-Yasha dozed and Shippô watched. The silence was unnerving as Miroku debated the idea of peeking on the girls.  
  
A rustling sound near by made Inu-Yasha wake with a start as Miroku jumped to his feet. An extremely little bird came out of the bushes and started walking towards the packs.  
  
"It's after the shards!?" Inu-Yasha whispered so that only Miroku and Shippô heard.  
  
"What should we do?" Miroku whispered back.  
  
"If a little one is around then the parents are more than certainly around," Inu-Yasha responded, not bothering to keep his voice down. He made his way to the packs ahead of the little bird and fished out the shards, being discrete about it so that the little demon wouldn't notice.  
  
"What about Kagome, Sango, and Lady Kitsu?" Shippô asked, cocking his head to the side.  
  
"If I hear any sounds of a fight, we'll go over there. But first, we need to watch this little bugger so that it doesn't do anything destructive. I'm not willing to fight his parents at the moment since they could probably kill us all," Inu-Yasha explained, settling down against the tree once more.  
  
The little bird demon wandered about their camp, still searching for the shards. It had already gone through the packs and was now looking at Miroku with interest.  
  
"Why's it looking at me?" Miroku asked in a whisper, clearly scared.  
  
"Maybe because it's a FEMALE bird demon," Inu-Yasha hinted, scowling at the bird.  
  
Miroku shrugged. "Beggars can't be choosers," he responded, grimacing. The little demon finished looking around before wandering off into the forest.  
  
"I have a bad feeling about this," Shippô commented, his eyes looking to where the bird had disappeared. "I mean, what if it goes to its parents to get the shards?"  
  
"We'll worry about that later. When it happens," Inu-Yasha yawned, stretching.  
  
At the hot spring.  
  
Lady Kitsu sighed as she leaned against a rock, wriggling her toes in the muddy bottom. Kagome and Sango rested near by, talking to themselves quietly. Kirara sat at the edge of the pool, cleaning herself. Normal nighttime noises came from around them, but Lady Kitsu could hear the boys talking about a hundred feet away, hidden by the trees. A small bird entered the small clearing, and Kirara mewed at it. It responded by hissing at her.  
  
"Kirara. What's." Sango's voice trailed off as she caught sight of the demon. "What is THAT doing here?!" She made a move for her boomerang, but Lady Kitsu stopped her.  
  
"Would you rather fight its parents when it starts shrieking?!" she hissed, gripping Sango's arm tightly, but not tightly enough to cause pain. "Its parents could kill us and then go kill the boys too without a single hesitation. They're worse than what we already experienced!"  
  
Kagome watched as Sango glared at the half-breed, wondering what her cause was really about. Naraku was known to try and turn them against each other, but was Lady Kitsu just one of his puppets? But if she were one of Naraku's puppets, why would she have saved Inu-Yasha? Kagome looked at Lady Kitsu, unaware of the small bird demon that was right behind her.  
  
"Um.Lady Kitsu?"  
  
Lady Kitsu looked at Kagome, releasing Sango. Her blue eyes stared into Kagome's face, searching for something. She seemed to find it, because she relaxed slightly. "You are wondering about my credibility, aren't you? Don't worry. I won't turn you and everyone else over to Naraku. He is my enemy also."  
  
"Oh." Kagome closed her eyes and leaned back, her head coming to rest on a moss-covered rock. "OW!"  
  
The bird demon (AN: did you forget it? ^.^) pecked at Kagome's head, drawing blood. Suddenly, it shrieked and answering shrieks came from all around them. Lady Kitsu swore vividly, reaching for Masamune. Sango also reached for a weapon, her fingers closing on a strap on her boomerang. Swearing came from the direction of where the boys were, but they paid no attention to it. An extremely large bird, larger than the first one they had encountered (AN: the demon that was in the third chapter is the one I'm referring to.) came at them as they stood in the spring.  
  
"Get down Kagome!" Lady Kitsu ordered, standing between the demon and Kagome. Kagome crouched in the water, keeping only her head up. Lady Kitsu snarled, cursing herself for not being aware of the demon's presence in the first place.  
  
"Weapons won't work on this one! It's too strong!" Sango shouted to Lady Kitsu over the demon's roar. "We need some sort of magic!"  
  
"Then go get the monk! He has a hellhole, right? That will easily destroy this one!"  
  
Kagome watched her two friends debate and started to slip away, to find Inu- Yasha, Shippô, and Miroku. She barely got to the edge of the spring when another demon, a little smaller than the other one, appeared right in front of her. Kagome barely had time to scream when the demon attacked her.  
  
Lady Kitsu heard Kagome's scream and turned quickly. The demon towered over Kagome, its beak stained with blood. A long gash in Kagome's arm told Lady Kitsu enough; the demon had attacked, aiming for Kagome's heart, and she had blocked it with her arm. Sango also turned her back on the other demon, and started to run to Kagome.  
  
"You idiot! Don't turn your back without someone to watch it!" Lady Kitsu's advice came a moment too late. The first demon struck Sango from behind, causing the demon exterminator to fall into the spring. Lady Kitsu cursed; there was no way to fight both demons and protect her newfound friends.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
I know, I know. It's really short, but that means more chapters and a faster read! *ducks heavy appliances and other large objects* You'll just have to wait for me to post the next chapter! ^.^ *ducks again as more large, heavy objects are thrown* It's not my fault for liking cliffhangers! I just get a kick out of writing them, because sometimes even I don't know what is going to happen! Thanx for all the reviews so far, and I hope to get more as this story gets longer! 


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